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A tire is a tubular corded carcass covered with rubber or synthetic
rubber, which is mounted on a wheel and inflated to provide traction
for moving a vehicle and for assisting the brakes in stopping it.
Today`s tires, when properly inflated, will absorb bumps on a road's
surface and give a safe, comfortable ride, while providing a
reassuring grip on the road at all speeds.
There are two basic types of tire: the tubeless tire for passenger
cars and light-duty trucks; and those requiring inner tubes for
medium and heavy-duty trucks.
In 1830, Charles Goodyear experimented with turning raw rubber into a
more solid and useful product. He bought a load of raw rubber from a
shoe factory on credit and couldn't pay. He wound up in debtor's
prison and started his experiments. He finished his sentence, and
kept on experimenting.
In 1839, Goodyear invited some friends over to a fund-raiser for his
experiments. He showed them a ball of rubber that he had hardened on
the surface to prove to them that his experiments were worthy of
their money. At this point he accidentally threw the rubber ball into
the hot wood stove. While he was scraping the ball off with a knife,
he realized that the rubber had hardened into just the right texture.
This was the start of "vulcanization" and the rubber tire industry.
Tires have changed a great deal since the 1950s. New rubber
components have been introduced into tire compounds which improve the
skid resistance. Recently new types have been developed to cope with
the dangers of sudden deflation. One of the most interesting of these
is a tire mounted on a relatively narrow wheel, so that the tire can
be run totally deflated without damage to the tire side walls. In
addition, the tire contains a special liquid which, when the tire is
run under the deflated condition, vaporizes and generates a pressure
so that the tire will partially reinflate.
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